| Coca-Cola Classic | |
| Defunct: | yes |
| Stadium: | Tokyo Dome (1988–1993) |
| Previous Stadiums: | National Olympic Stadium (1980–1987) Korakuen Stadium (1977–1979) |
| Location: | Tokyo, Japan |
| Years: | 1977–1993 |
| Sponsors: | The Coca-Cola Company (1986–1993) Mitsubishi (1977–1985) |
| Former Names: | Mirage Bowl (1977–1985) |
The Coca-Cola Classic was a regular season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football game played in Tokyo, Japan, from 1977 to 1993. It was originally sponsored by Mitsubishi and known as the Mirage Bowl, and later sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and renamed for the soft drink Coca-Cola Classic. Because the game was merely a re-location of a late regular season game, it was not considered a traditional postseason bowl game.
Japan universities began forming their own college football teams since 1934.[1] In 1971, the Utah State Aggies became the first American college football team to play in Japan, in a series of games against teams of Japan's college all-stars.[2] [3] January 1976 saw the beginning of the Japan Bowl, a post-season college football all-star game played in Japan each January from 1976 to 1993.
In September 1976, Grambling State and Morgan State played a regular-season game at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Won by Grambling State, 42–16, it was the first regular-season NCAA game played in Japan.[4] Referred to as the "Pioneer Bowl" in some sources,[4] [5] the game was unrelated to the postseason Pioneer Bowl played in Wichita Falls, Texas, during 1971–1982, or the later Pioneer Bowl contested between historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) during 1997–2012.
See also: Mitsubishi Motors. The Mirage Bowl was hosted by Mitsubishi Motors in Japan from its inception through 1985. The name refers to Mitsubishi's Mirage line of subcompact cars. Chrysler imported the Mirage and sold it in the US as the Dodge Colt and the Plymouth Champ.
See also: The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company took over corporate sponsorship from Mitsubishi in 1986, renaming it the "Coca-Cola Classic". Other sports contests sponsored by Coca-Cola have also been called "Coca-Cola Classic", for example, in college basketball[6] and volleyball.[7] The company's flagship beverage, itself, was re-branded "Coca-Cola Classic" in the wake of the "New Coke" fiasco.
| Season | Date | Winners | Runners-up | Venue | Attendance | Reference | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 December 1977 | Grambling | 35 | 32 | align=center rowspan="3" | 50,000 | [8] | |||
| 1978 | 10 December 1978 | Temple | 28 | 24 | 55,000 | [9] | |||
| 24 November 1979 | Notre Dame | 40 | 15 | 62,574 | [10] | ||||
| 30 November 1980 | No. 14 UCLA | 34 | 3 | align=center align=center rowspan="8" | 80,000 | [11] | |||
| 28 November 1981 | Air Force | 21 | 16 | 60,000 | [12] | ||||
| 27 November 1982 | No. 10 Clemson | 21 | 17 | 80,000 | [13] | ||||
| 26 November 1983 | No. 6 SMU | 34 | 12 | 70,000 | [14] | ||||
| 17 November 1984 | Army | 45 | 31 | 60,000 | [15] | ||||
| 30 November 1985 | USC | 20 | 6 | 65,000 | [16] | ||||
| 30 November 1986 | Stanford | 29 | 24 | 55,000 | [17] | ||||
| 28 November 1987 | California | 17 | Washington State | 17 | 54,000 | [18] | |||
| 3 December 1988 | No. 12 Oklahoma State | 45 | 42 | align=center rowspan="6" | 56,000 | [19] | |||
| 4 December 1989 | Syracuse | 24 | 13 | 50,000 | [20] | ||||
| 1 December 1990 | No. 11 Houston | 62 | 45 | 50,000 | [21] | ||||
| 30 November 1991 | No. 13 Clemson | 33 | 21 | 50,000 | [22] | ||||
| 6 December 1992 | No. 11 Nebraska | 38 | 24 | 50,000 | [23] | ||||
| 5 December 1993 | Wisconsin | 41 | 20 | 51,000 | [24] | ||||
The inaugural Mirage Bowl was played in 1977 at Korakuen Stadium on December 11, between Grambling and Temple. Grambling rallied to win 35–32 with a last-minute touchdown,[25] and All-American quarterback Doug Williams was named MVP.
The eighth edition, between Army and Montana,[26] marked the introduction of "The Wave" to Japan. A line of Army and Montana cheerleaders on the playing field demonstrated the concept of The Wave, and it was quickly adopted by spectators in the stands.
Heisman Trophy winning running back Barry Sanders concluded his Division I-A (now FBS) record-setting rushing season in this game, since the NCAA did not begin counting bowl game statistics until 2002 (four weeks later, he gained 222 yards in the Holiday Bowl, which are not included in his record-setting total). He watched the Heisman Trophy announcement in a Tokyo television studio at five o'clock in the morning.[27] [28] [29] Sanders rushed for more than 300 yards in Oklahoma State's 45–42 win against Texas Tech to finish the season with 2,628 yards.
Houston quarterback David Klingler passed for 716 yards against Arizona State, a Division I-A (now FBS) single-game passing yardage record that stood for over two decades, broken by Connor Halliday in 2014.[30]
Nebraska won the Big Eight conference title, edging out runner-up Colorado with the win. It was the finale of Kansas State's last non-bowl season until 2004.
With their 21-point win over Michigan State, Wisconsin became co-champions of the Big Ten (with Ohio State, who they had tied earlier in the season) and received the invitation to the Rose Bowl, the program's first New Year's Day appearance in 31 years.[31]